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Hola hola hola! If you follow along on Instagram, you know my boyfriend and I spent an entire month living in Mexico City and were AMAZED with its beauty, charm, endless activities, kind people, and so much more (full CDMX travel guide coming soon)! My boyfriend took me to San Miguel de Allende for my birthday weekend trip and it was just as BEAUTIFUL! We spent 2 days and one night there, which was ideal. I’d say stay up to 2-3 nights max and you’ll be set. Definitely add this spot to your travel bucket list for the future, it’s definitely a hot spot with tourists, but something you do not want to miss. The charm is out of this world, in fact, San Miguel de Allende was voted the most beautiful city in the WORLD multiple years in a row! I’ll tell you all my favorite places to stay, what to see and do, and where to go to avoid the major tourist trap and explore the cute town in the best possible way!

Can you just feel the small, Mexican town, charm through these photos!? I mean, it’s truly a different world, and personally one of my favorite places to visit! Here is what you need to know before you go if you’re planning a trip to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico!

WHERE TO STAY:

We stayed at Hotel Naramu (which was incredible)! It’s a cute boutique hotel my boyfriend actually discovered, with the most AMAZING rooftop restaurant/bar (with a perfect view of the city)! The hotel itself was very basic, but had everything for a simple stay. I would recommend bringing earplugs since they keep the rooftop music going until 10pm though. Besides that, the stay was great!!

I’ve heard amazing and rave reviews if you want something a step up (and a bit pricier but not crazy) about: 1810 hotels, Lotel, and Chiquito’s Lotel

HOW TO GET TO SMA:

You can either fly into Mexico City or fly into Guanajato or Queretaro then drive or take a shuttle. There is also an option to take the public bus (which I’ve heard are actually amazing, almost like the Greyhounds we have in the U.S.). We drove from Mexico City which took us about 3 hours I believe. There are a lot of companies that either you can hire for a private driver or a shared transportation. The most popular one is BajioGo shuttle service which you can reserve ahead of time. I randomly found a private transportation, and am happy to share the WhatsApp number (the guys name is Luis and he was amazing- only spoke Spanish but drove us in a van both ways from CDMX to SMA and then back). We paid him in cash and tipped him, and I believe it was at least $60+ cheaper than BajioGo, but again, it’s whatever you feel most comfortable doing!

WHAT TO DO:

Walk around and explore! The town itself is actually really tiny, like walkable in one day probably! Wear comfortable walking shoes as there are only cobblestone streets and sidewalks. Wander and get lost and explore.

We loved walking around, exploring shops, eating DELICIOUS food, checking out the sites in town, and people watching! Some of our favorite spots were:

• • Mercado Ignacio Ramirez- lots of street vendors/shopping and locals too!
  • Parroquia de San Miguel- pink church in the city center 
  • Eating and drinking on rooftops- a very popular activity here
  • We walked to the Rosewood San Miguel de Allende which was incredibly peaceful, beautiful, and extremely charming. We took photos here for the blog, but I recommend walking here (or grabbing a 60 peso taxi = $3) to take you there for a drink at Luna Rooftop Bar

WHERE TO EAT/DRINK:

BREAKFAST: 

• • Silveryas- this was pretty tricky to find but WELL worth it. It’s run at an ex-pats home above the Rosewood on the hill, in a local neighborhood, and they have great American breakfasts (huge omelettes, hash browns, cinnamon rolls, etc for VERY cheap).
  • Siete Cielos Cocina
  • Inside Cafe
  • Starbucks- it’s cute but the earliest coffee shop opens in SMA at 8am even Starbucks

LUNCH/DINNER: 

• • Hecho en Mexico (our #1 recommendation for lunch- get the enchiladas and a margarita and thank me later!!)
  • La Sirena Gorda (10/10 you MUST go here for dinner). We came here for my birthday dinner and it was incredible- live music, amazing service, delicious food, beautiful decor and ambiance oh my gosh. 100% recommend)

DRINKS ON THE ROOFTOP: 

• • B’ani- this is the rooftop bar at Hotel Naramu and it’s the BEST (better views than the other expensive rooftop bars, great service, delicious drinks, you MUST try a carajillo- like Mexican’s version of an espresso martini)
  • Selena
  • Moxi
  • Luna @ Rosewood Hotel
  • Zumo
  • La Unica

DESSERT/CAFE:

• • San Agustin-insanely popular place for churros and coffee (we didn’t want to wait in the 2 hour line so skipped it, but try it if you can)
  • Homemade Ice Cream- near the pink church in the city center there are two stands with locals selling homemade ice cream (def recommend)

TIPS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

Definitely bring cash in pesos (or USD) with you. The small taxis take cash, the street vendors take cash, so be sure to have pesos on you for this reason. When you’re out to dinner you can of course use a credit card.

Almost everyone here speaks English, unlike in Mexico City. San Miguel de Allende is VERY Americanized and getting very popular, but it still has charm to it!

You can bargain with taxi drivers, street vendors, and more. It’s Mexico so try offering a lower price, it worked every time for us!

Bring extra room in your suitcase- there are endless shops with cute hats, lots of beautiful art, and of course jewelry and more that you can buy.

Wander, wander, wander. This city is like Venice, Italy where you can wander all day and eventually find your way back 🙂 Just wear comfortable shoes since it is cobblestone streets!

Wear sunscreen!!! There is minimal shade in this city for some reason, so I’m telling you, bring a water bottle around with you and wear your sunscreen and a hat.